ISLAMABAD, Feb 04: The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB), hosted a reception to honor a Kazakhstan media delegation at the Pak-China Friendship Centre, Islamabad.
The reception included addresses by Ataullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting; Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan; Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President of IRS; Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed; and Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Tourism. The event served as a critical platform for exchanging viewpoints aimed at deepening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation between the media communities of Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
Prominent members from academia and the media, such as Dr. Adam Saud of Bahria University Islamabad; Dr. Taraq Waheed from SZABIST; and senior journalists Shaukat Paracha, Farooq Hassan, and Yargali from Kazakhstan, emphasized the significance of the growing Pakistan–Kazakhstan relations amidst renewed momentum.
The gathering also included distinguished guests such as Ms. Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education & Professional Training; Shamaila Rana, MNA; Ashfaq Ahmad Khalil, Secretary of Information; and Raisa Adil, Executive Director General of the External Publicity Wing at MoIB, among others.
The diverse audience of media professionals, academics, diplomats, and senior government officials highlighted the broad interest in Pakistan’s expanding engagement with Central Asia.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed described the Pakistan–Kazakhstan relationship as fundamental to Pakistan’s engagement with Central Asia, based on shared history, mutual respect, and strategic convergences. He underlined Kazakhstan’s role in regional stability and economic cooperation, emphasizing Pakistan’s strategic position as a gateway linking Central and South Asia.
Senator Sayed applauded Yerzhan Kistafin, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, for his significant contribution to strengthening bilateral ties through committed diplomacy.
In his address, Jauhar Saleem, President of IRS, expressed that Pakistan’s growing outreach to Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, aligns with a broader regional vision to connect South Asia with Central Asia and beyond through trade corridors and enhanced transport connectivity.
He reinforced the importance of expanding brotherly relations with Kazakhstan into a comprehensive economic partnership, advocating a shift from bilateral engagements to issue-based bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in connectivity, energy security, and trade facilitation.
